Marella Explorer 2 review

[Sally V Lamb]

Recently returned from Greek Getaway cruise on Explorer 2 and thought I would cover a few points.

 

Embarkation        Flew from Manchester and no issues here or going through Naples airport and collecting luggage. It is leaving the airport the issues arise. No coaches are allowed onto the airport for all cruise lines and consequently all passengers are not advised that there is a long walk, say 1/4 mile, to the coach park. This involves crossing a busy road and walking on public pavements either carrying or pushing your own luggage. Not for the elderly or infirm. There may have been assistance but I did not see anybody using or asking for it. You are NOT warned in advance about this and it could have been heavy rain like the previous week's cruisers endured.

 

Disembarkation   This was better as Naples airport is regarded as bonded for the return journey. Your case goes from the ship direct to Manchester in our case. This was fine. However passengers on the return coach remembered the walk on the way in. For some reason the driver went to the coach park and everybody thought a long walk was needed without your luggage. However he then proceeded to drive out of the coach park and dropped everybody in front of the departures terminal which was better. No explanation given.

 

Food     Excellent throughout and good choice of restaurants. Kora La and Surf 'n' turf are much better positioned on the same deck as all cruisers walk up and down going to the shops and bars etc. Because they were more visible they appeared full each night. Still a question of whether value for money and probably not. Did not try the Dining Club. The Italian restaurant Vista situated in the main dining room was busy every night and we ate there 3 times as it was excellent. 

 

Bars   Very good choice of bars and open and airy with plenty of room. Premium All Inclusive well worth purchasing a £50 per person per week. Much better choice of wines, beers, cocktails as well as coffees in the Coffee port. a 1.5L bottle of water per cabin per day and also included liqueur coffee with the evening meal. 

 

Venues   Good range with Indigo at the top of the ship for cabaret and late night disco. Squid and Anchor ( the pub) for quizzes and the evening gameshow. Gets busy in here after 9 pm. The Broadway show lounge is on 2 tiers and is impressive. On a wet morning they put on the film Bohemian Rhapsody and it was packed out. An Ent host said during the refurbishment £1M had been spent on audio sound system. Golf themed bar with 2 golf simulators which were said to be more expensive than any golf club in the UK!

 

Shops   Good range of shops split over 2 levels. I did not particularly notice until well into the cruise that there was no shop selling alcohol or cigarettes. Presumably because we are always in EU waters on the summer's cruises someone said ?

 

Spa    Champneys spa is well appointed and well used but dearer than Marella cruisers may be used to.

 

Destination Services.  On embarkation afternoon there was a port showcase showing on the large screen on the pool deck. Not paid any attention. However on the next day at sea there was no port showcase in the Broadway show lounge. Cruisers left a bit baffled and DS stock answer - it's on the tv in your cabin. First port of call was Chania in Crete but due to a medical emergency we were late. Ship turned around and had to meet a boat nearer the coast to take an injured member of staff off. Half the excursions were cancelled and rest moved to later afternoon slots. Any wishing to change were told by DS you need to give 24 hours to cancel. This is always an area which lets the cruise down.

 

Entertainment  A new to us Cruise Director , Matthew Shaw, but very pleasant. Never seen around the ship at all until the main show at 8.30 pm. Two of the Ent Hosts, TJ and Andy, should form a double act as they were very amusing during quizzes and game shows. The standard type of quizzes, games, other entertainment slightly changed for the cruise and you need to check the cruise news to see what is on when. Game shows not seen as good as usual but amusing. Shows in the BSL were excellent every night. New ones so not seen by previous cruisers. Comedian one night but not overly funny. Bingo seem as popular as usual. Cabaret in the Indigo club very good. Two good bands on board as well.

 

Ports   Chania very nice but late in. Excursion to a Monastery was good. Mykonos was a tender but very nice and worth a visit but not a paid excursion. Athens - to the Parthenon very good but absolutely packed out. There is also a very long walk on slippery ground to the top as well as a busy main road to cross. Zante - due to high winds/rain failed to tender and set sail to Catania. Film put on as above. Catania - been to Mount Etna before as well as Taormina - little do in Catania and generally poor.

 

Summary  We had basically decent weather apart from one morning unlike the previous week who had rain every day. The Explorer 2 is a very nice ship but perhaps lacks the "wow" factor of Discovery. The atrium in comparison was very small. However Indigo was very popular in the day to sit and read in a light and airy. Full deck width Coffee Port unlike the wraparound style on Discovery. Main Dining rooms were fine and I note that there were a considerable number more of tables for two. All in all a very nice cruise

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GOQ]

24 minutes ago, Sally V Lamb said:

Recently returned from Greek Getaway cruise on Explorer 2 and thought I would cover a few points.

Embarkation        Flew from Manchester and no issues here or going through Naples airport and collecting luggage. It is leaving the airport the issues arise. No coaches are allowed onto the airport for all cruise lines and consequently all passengers are not advised that there is a long walk, say 1/4 mile, to the coach park. This involves crossing a busy road and walking on public pavements either carrying or pushing your own luggage. Not for the elderly or infirm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh dear, a little worried here as I am "a bit elderly" and "a bit infirm". Only a bit, but I fear the embarkation might not be pleasant.

Edited June 15, 2019 by GOQ
x

[2BACRUISER]

On 6/15/2019 at 5:26 PM, Sally V Lamb said:

 

Disembarkation   This was better as Naples airport is regarded as bonded for the return journey. Your case goes from the ship direct to Manchester in our case. This was fine. However passengers on the return coach remembered the walk on the way in. For some reason the driver went to the coach park and everybody thought a long walk was needed without your luggage. However he then proceeded to drive out of the coach park and dropped everybody in front of the departures terminal which was better. No explanation given.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is because the coaches are allowed in to drop off but not to stay and wait to pick up. 

[Vitalsign]

I'm a pensioner but not infirm and I certainly would NOT want to drag my suitcase and hand luggage 1/4 mile and definitely not across a busy road in Naples - the drivers are mad and ignore zebra crossings altogether I shall be avoiding this home port until it's sorted

[Tizzy-Jo]

1 hour ago, Vitalsign said:

I'm a pensioner but not infirm and I certainly would NOT want to drag my suitcase and hand luggage 1/4 mile and definitely not across a busy road in Naples - the drivers are mad and ignore zebra crossings altogether I shall be avoiding this home port until it's sorted

Ditto that.

[Jayneykul]

We were on the same cruise as you, also flying from Manchester. We agree it was a fairly longish walk from the terminal to the coach park but don’t remember a “busy road” (could be mistaken took full advantage of the AI!) We enjoyed the ship more than Discovery as thought the layout of Aperitif/surf & turf, indigo, coffee port was far better. We did miss the evening tapas bar though. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this cruise apart from we thought the cruise director had very little presence/personality and 1 of the female entertainment staff by the pool was extremely squeaky and irritating. That was our personal opinion. We did go to surf and turf thought it was excellent value beautiful food and service will definitely go when we are on Discovery in September. 

[edinburgher]

Just back from Explorer 2.

 

Can confirm that it is a very long walk with luggage from Naples Airport to the coaches, even if your cases have four wheels. Tip: We saw luggage trolleys in the baggage area, but never thought that one would be needed as we have only ever had short walks to coaches. At Naples, be sure to take one.

 

Our return flight to Glasgow was a nightmare. Coaches parked outside of the airport for over an hour before anyone allowed off. Once at departure gate, herded into the "bus from terminal to aircraft" area. Fewer than 20 seats, no toilets, no facilities of any kind. Waited over an hour here with almost everyone standing. No explanations at all from anyone. Flight delayed by 1hr 40. We won't book again if Naples airport is being used.

 

The library is miniscule. Really only three small shelves. Tip: Take books with you.

 

Port maps are no longer available onboard. These were missed by many. You will be reliant on local Tourist Info people handing out maps at the port.

 

Daily newsletters are no longer available. TV is your only source of news and weather other than WiFi at the ports.

 

There are no tobacco products for sale anywhere onboard, not even single packs from the bar. Tip: If you smoke, bring enough with you for the first few days until you can buy ashore.

 

The drinks menus in the bars only showed a tiny fraction of the AI drinks menu which we saw on Explorer in Nov/Dec. If you ask, all bar staff have a copy of the full range of AI drinks. This includes ports, sherries, Drambuie, many more cocktails and drinks such as Baileys. Tip: Ask to see the full list.

[ormy]

Fully agree with comments regarding Naples Airport, we will not be joining any cruises starting there. Bonded luggage outward would certainly help, they do at Dubrovnik Airport both ways. We really enjoyed the 2 weeks on Explorer 2. Ok you can always find little niggles with anything, but overall a great cruise.  The only thing we were unhappy about was the relaxed dress code for MDR/Vista, to allow shorts/trainers just not on, Market Place is the where they should eat if they don't want to dress sensibly

[edinburgher]

Ormy, we too were surprised by shorts being acceptable in the MDR/Vista in the evenings. The couple in front of us waiting to go in one evening were advised that "the gentleman could not be admitted without a collared shirt". He had to go and change. He wasn't even wearing a scruffy t-shirt, just a top with no collar. He was also wearing dress trousers and dress shoes. Who even knew that collared shirts were required but shorts were acceptable?  Perhaps it is the new fashion that younger male pax are wearing. IE a shirt, knee length fitted shorts, soft shoes.

 

We also enjoyed the two weeks. Some lovely ports and the onboard experience was really good. Only downside for us was the few shows which were more like musical acts as we are not into heavy metal etc. The final show was absolutely fabulous. 

 

 

Assuming you were on a different flight, did your coaches also get "held" for a long time once you arrived at the airport? Nobody allowed off?

 

Shame about Naples Airport. They treat flights with cruise pax with total contempt. The Captain (or First Officer) came into the cabin once we were onboard to announce to all pax  what had been happening to cause the delay. Apparently they have issues each week with the airport authorities which they have so far not managed to resolve.

 

 

[2BACRUISER]

From what I can gather the problem is Naples is a regional airport at its max capacity. Tui want to land and turn round 6-8 planes with upwards 1800 pax and their luggage in around  5hrs but are not prepared to pay for the extra manpower it needs to do it hence stand off and go slow by Naples staff. To add insult Tui staff cant 'work/help' in the airport itself due to Italian labour laws so everyone asking and complaining why don't marella do more they just cant. I don't see any resolution anytime soon.  

[ormy]

Perhaps ' Bonded Luggage ' inbound is the answer - if they can do it outbound  I don't see why not.  It was the only real problem we encountered on a very enjoyable cruise.  The shows, I agree, relied heavily on pyrotechnics and very loud singing a bit high pitched at times - all very much the same. Will certainly cruise with Marella again, but certainly not out of Naples.

[dronnygirl]

If Marella don't get this resolved it could be a major headache for them, when word gets round people will have second thoughts about booking from Naples. I wonder if anyone has any idea what a taxi transfer would cost from airport to ship? Our flight has been changed to a later time and if we have transfer problems as well this will make us even later boarding.

 

 

[davecttr]

5 hours ago, 2BACRUISER said:

From what I can gather the problem is Naples is a regional airport at its max capacity. Tui want to land and turn round 6-8 planes with upwards 1800 pax and their luggage in around  5hrs but are not prepared to pay for the extra manpower it needs to do it hence stand off and go slow by Naples staff. To add insult Tui staff cant 'work/help' in the airport itself due to Italian labour laws so everyone asking and complaining why don't marella do more they just cant. I don't see any resolution anytime soon.  

I suggest Marella look for another home port soonest.

[ormy]

They will certainly need to do something - a complete nightmare at Naples Airport.

probably no airport with port nearby suitable - they are using Naples 2020, lets see.

[brian1]

What happened to the promises given to people on the phone of Naples being bonded.This was another thread a few weeks back.

[Pensioncruiser]

3 hours ago, ormy said:

They will certainly need to do something - a complete nightmare at Naples Airport.

probably no airport with port nearby suitable - they are using Naples 2020, lets see.

For our Sep 2020 cruise from Napels we have received an amended notification that the luggage will be bonded both inbound and outbound so perhaps they have plan's 🙄

[davecttr]

Apparently Naples has been bonded for the homeward flight but the airport can't handle the peak passenger flow on inbound flights, not enough staff apparently and TUI won't pay for more. Bonding the inbound luggage as well should solve that problem and no more 2 hour waits at baggage claim.

[ormy]

There  were posts earlier on saying that their tickets said ' Bonded ' outbound, something that just didn't happen. It would certainly make things easier - though you would still have the long walk to coaches.

[ormy]

I did mean inbound - sorry

[Kettle Cruiser]

On 6/30/2019 at 6:17 PM, dronnygirl said:

If Marella don't get this resolved it could be a major headache for them, when word gets round people will have second thoughts about booking from Naples. I wonder if anyone has any idea what a taxi transfer would cost from airport to ship? Our flight has been changed to a later time and if we have transfer problems as well this will make us even later boarding.

 

 

We paid in advance for a return taxi transfer, about 80 euro from memory. It was worth it for the return trip, but our driver couldn't find the port entrance on the outward journey. The bus arrived before us !!!

[dronnygirl]

Thank you kettle cruiser

[edinburgher]

Just now read some of the newest E2 reviews in the review section.

 

More really negative mentions of Naples Airport!!

 

And some poor E2 comments re the onboard experience too.

 

We enjoyed ours, but opinions are subjective.

[Vitalsign]

Peel cover the entertainment staff CD/ACDs and show teams on Dream Celebration and both Discoveries but not the Explorers as TUI have contracted another company for the latest ships I heard from a number of passengers on Discovery last week who have sailed on the Explorers that they aren't as good as those from Peel

[dronnygirl]

53 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

Just now read some of the newest E2 reviews in the review section.

 

More really negative mentions of Naples Airport!!

 

And some poor E2 comments re the onboard experience too.

 

We enjoyed ours, but opinions are subjective.

 

Pleased you enjoyed your cruise, we will go with an open mind as usual. Just thankful we are in a position to be able to have this experience. I'm sure we will enjoy ourselves but not booking anything for next year until we've been in September.

[dronnygirl]

12 minutes ago, Vitalsign said:

Peel cover the entertainment staff CD/ACDs and show teams on Dream Celebration and both Discoveries but not the Explorers as TUI have contracted another company for the latest ships I heard from a number of passengers on Discovery last week who have sailed on the Explorers that they aren't as good as those from Peel

We were in E1 last year and enjoyed the entertainment although,  as you say, not quite as good as Discovery.  

I've just seen that Braximusic will be on board Discovery shortly, singing in Venice.  I loved them just year and hope they stay working with Marella.